Ear infection

Last night, I had a slight temperature, a very sore throat ( hard to swallow any freakin' thing!) and my ear was aching (my left one).

So I took some cold medication and I conked out for 4 hours, straight.

As I got up I needed to drink ( took sips really) to wet my whistle. And then I slipped back into the warm bed and dozed off once more, until past 9:30 the next morning.

At this time, my ear still hurts, my body aches a little bit (but it hurts all over) but the throat is getting better fast. I am not sure what I have in my ear but it is throbbing like crazy and I am sure I did something to it to make it this way, but I can't remember - I am devoid of memory especially when it comes to what I might have done or taken to cause a "malfunction" in my delicate body.

I take a couple to TYLENOL gelcaps every 4 hours and that seems to relieve the pain in my ear. I can even hear my heart beat thru there, if that is at all possible. So, today I am not my usual perky and lively self but I try to be as much as I can since "R" and "T" were with me today - bless their kind souls to keep me company.

Well maybe another night of good sleep will make me feel better tomorrow. I always love the thought of looking forward to tomorrow even if I am not 100%.

It is Saturday and the honking in front of my street is normal, so it seems that everything is as usual except me. Well, we will see about that tomorrow.

Ciao for now. Have a nice night.

TGIF!

TGIF...Thank GOD it's Friday!

People get this wrong sometimes..TGIF...some think it means..Thanks, God. It's Friday!

NOPE, that is not it. It is THANK GOD, it's Friday!

Like, as in, finally it is Friday it is upon us, THANK GOD!

That kind of sums it up.

But anyway you say it, Friday is here and Thank God for it.

Friday is never just another day for me. Now that I am in BsAs, I get to spend it with my "R" and those are special days. When I am with him it feels like it is always Friday - and there is nothing ever ordinary about that.

Ciao for now.

Today is Thursday..airconditioner installer came to give estimate

Looking for somebody to do something for you in Buenos Aires is a very precarious proposition ( notice how I am trying my best to phrase this properly). Most of the time people just do not just leaf through the yellow pages and pick a name thinking the guy should have a license to do his trade and anyone is as good as the next. WRONG!!!

First you must be well connected and have a list of reliable network of friends. People who like you, not people you JUST know. It is by high recommendation that you hire a person to do some work or another for you. First of all, your friend will not recommend just anybody - he cannot afford to loose a life long friendship over a lousy plumber - no way Jose. He will give you the name of the very guy who fixed his cabinets and in this case installed his own airconditioner in his brand spakin' new house.

Then you try to call the guy, with the phone number and name that your friend gives you. After a few "I will call you" and "you can call me anytime" kindda phonecall, one or both people will loose the phone number and comes in THE ULTIMATE DIVA who keeps everything -including the piece of paper with the AC installer's phone number to the rescue. Then we continue to set a date so he can come to my place and look at the AC and the location where it can aesthetically be utilitarian but will make the place still look nice. So a few, handshakes after his initial arrival , this time he is on time, knowing that you friend reminded him how important you and you time are, he points and points again, and says this is how we plan to do it, and more pointing. And then comes the price and time frame, you have to ask or else they do not volunteer these kinds of informations. So he says in one full day and price is OK, no inexpensive but for the price, I am sure "R's" friend will say the price is reasonable for the good work this guy is going to do. Then he shakes my hand and tells me, it was nice meeting me - thank you- thank you. I say the same and off he goes.

Easy for those who have an "R" in their lives. I could not imagine having a conversation like that with this person in the next 6 months, please need I remind you I do not speak a lick of spanish. Stay focused here people, Yo no habla espanol. k? But I am catching up, not fast enough but Iam getting there. So I understand most of what he said. "R" said we need this kinds of cord and this tube, I say OK and lo! and Behold, I will hopefully have my heater/AC installed on Thursday.

Painless and easy, again , you have to be THE ULTIMATE DIVA to have a special "R" in your life to get this going and pull something like this. All I have to do was stand there and decide if I like what the proposed end result it, and YES I DO.

There, next Friday I would have the low down on how this came down.

I wanted to write about the new bakery/pastry shop "R" took me today, but I do not think I am ready to share yet. Let me enjoy it for the next few months and then I share. Thank you for understanding.

Ciao for now. I had a splendid Wednesday night, if you were wondering.

I received very lovely flowers today...

"R" surprised me this morning with a bouquet of beautiful arrangement of flower...ahhh..he loves me...he really,really loves me!
I thank him and more of that showing of gratitude for the rest of the week...he-he-he
I am a sucker for flowers. Jewelry and flattery will get you everywhere but thoughtful gestures like that makes the heart so aflutter.

It is still on the cold side here in BsAs, but you can always combat the cold by using feather (goosedown) blankets or find a good someone to cuddle with ( I tend to choose the latter on, if available). Well today I eat lunch alone as I read my ELLE magazine. But tonight I cook dinner (curry) and "R" cooks the healthy rice and he will come over to my place and we have dinner together. This is the best arrangement any couple can ever have. He does his thing, I do my thing and we do things together. It has worked for us for ages now and I think this is the best of all worlds.

I do not ask too much, he tells me what he wants, I tell him everything when I have stuff to tell and then we have a great time in between. I would like to think that we have our hearts set for each other but looking at others (girls on his part and hunky guys on my part) but at the end of it all we go home to each other. Fun alone and fun together. What a deal, huh?

I think "R" was just reassuring me today that we might be in a different time zone and things are done quite differently here in BsAs but if we stick to what works for us, we have half the battle won; the everyday battle with BsAs will always be there but it is not written anywhere that we can not have the time of our life as we wait in line, for the bus, for our coffee , our check and others.

The flowers is just a very nice touch from his heart to mine. It was spontaneous and it was sincere and I love it. It sits here on a vase he "made" for me. I look at it and I do not see leaves, not pinkish rosy flowers but a truth in his gesture and that counts for a lot. A mighty lot.
I hope to tell you what happens tomorrow after dinner but I do not get up early to post it, I know you will understand.

I sit here and trying to do some work but all I can think of is "Ahhhhhh..."

Ciao for now.

A quickie in the country...

As I was typing the title, it could mean two things really - and it is not the first one you thought of- SORRY. I was getting ready for a slow day when my "R" called and we were to dash to the country for some expected delivery. So in ten minutes he was at my door and I was holding the phone trying to figure out where the heck he was in all that melee of a traffic downstairs, I see him and as I put the phone down I head to the elevator pressed some buttons and down I went. PHEW! I know when he is in a hurry.

We were, HE WAS, driving faster than usual. Try telling an Argentinian to slow down when he is in a hurry. It would be like telling a bird to not fly. He listens, but does not do it. It is OK.

So we head to the country in less than 30 minutes usually a 40-45 minutes drive. 120kmh was registering in the speedometer, I do not even care to look a second time after I saw the needle hit that the first time.

So the delivery guys were there, very very nice and efficient. I love this furniture company we are dealing with they are just EXCELLENT both product and service.

So they delivered and in the furniture came. Then they were generously tipped for the great patience and service.

"R" and I decided to hit the local panaderia our fave, but they were closed. Well the one next door was open. In we went, they had everything we needed and some ( fracturas ). Service in this countryside store really makes their city counter part pale in comparison. People here in our little piece of heaven are REALLY NICE and smiles readily. Love this place.

So we ate at home and laughed and relaxed. Then we sat outside and took in some nice sun and breeze. We watched the neighbor's workers build a swimming pool, we thought they might have dug a hole to bury a corpse or corpses; but we thought that was just our imagination gone wild. We had a nice time watching the birds dig out worms. Some meaning conversation happened and "R" was sitting there looking peaceful and serenely happy. It was a pleasant sight.

So off we gathered our stuff (dried laundry) and I found the item was I was desperately seeking. Thanks for asking. But off we went to the car and headed back to the city. Again the Argentinian driver in "R" kicks in and we weave in and out of traffic. I swear to GOD, when I drive in BsAs I will not make it my life's mission to scare the daylights out of everybody. Speeding at 140kmh like that BMW did that passed us,as if we were just standing still, was to say the least, made me think of how crazy some drivers are in here. Some, I said some, ok, I did not say ALL. So lay off the nasty emails.

There - a quickie is as always, fast but good while it lasts. The trip, I mean!

Ciao for now.

A day in the countryside outside of the City of Buenos Aires

Yesterday was a serene Sunday in Buenos Aires. I was relaxed, "R"and "T" were as well. We got some cooked meals from Jumbo and piled into the car and off we drove to the countryside, a 45 minutes drive north of the city. The traffic was as always a reminder of car chases on video games except we have Audi's, Mercedezes passing us and lots of various cars in between - fast and slow ones alike. Weather was really on the nippy side yesterday. It was definitely a jacket weather, heavy jacket and scarf weather. As we ended on our northern destination, we were eased to the calm surrounding, sounds of the heavy breeze and occasional wimpering of Teros from afar. After miles of just cold breeze and a car or two passing past us, it was a deafening silence. SILENCE, you say?! Yes, it is such a breath of very fresh air to not hear any trucks, honking or people's incessant talking - just pure unadulterated silence. I love it!
We had lunch there at the house and search for some stuff amongst boxes and boxes of my stuff. Never to find what I am looking for anyways, I find everything else that I am not looking for but the VERY ONE that I am searching - story of my life!! But it was a fun day. I have resolved that what ever I am looking for I will find one of these days amongst the "not so many anymore" boxes that was assigned to me. Oh well...
As we bundled up again to head back to the city, we know what lies ahead. Noise, pollution of varied degrees, but we know that we are amongst a few very blessed few that have a place of peace and quiet. Our little corner of the world to commune with nature - all because "R" makes it all worth while and we try to tell him in our small little ways that we appreciate his providing us with this splendid little slice of heaven on Buenos Aires earth.
I am looking forward to returning there in a couple of days or so..my search fo that illusive item amongst those boxes is driving me nuts - and so are the people around me - well... the DIVA reigns....
Ciao til tomorrow, right?